1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the field of dishwashers and specifically to a food particle collection chamber with a mincing blade therein.
2. Description of the Related Art
Dishwashers, particularly those used in domestic applications, have a wash chamber conventionally provided with a sump at a lower part of the wash chamber. Wash liquid sprayed on dishes and other objects in the wash chamber flows downwardly into the sump where the liquid collects. The liquid can flow through a filter so that food particles are retained in a collection chamber of the sump. Filtered wash liquid in the sump is recycled to be sprayed on the dishes or directed toward a drain. The food particles are eventually pumped to the drain with the wash liquid. Such dishwashers are shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,038,103 to Grunewald, 4,319,599 to Dingler, 4,347,861 to Clearman, 4,754,772 to Nord, 4,969,479 and 4,998,548 both to Lagerstrand. Large food particles may remain in the collection chamber causing unwanted clogging or odors. Other types of waste handling in dishwashers are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,150,679 to Cushing et al., 4,168,715 to Spiegel et al., 4,228,962 to Dingler, 4,350,306 to Dingler et al. and 5,143,306 to Nilsson.
In some installations, separate pumps (a recycling pump and a drain pump) are used to direct the liquid to the appropriate locations. In other installations, a single pump may be used in conjunction with a valve system to direct the liquid to either the drain or the wash chamber. An example of this is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,848,382 to Bertsch, incorporated herein by reference.
It would be preferable to use a single uni-directional motor to reduce cost and complexity, and improve efficiency. Food particles and the material from the dishes should not be recycled and should not interfere with the flow of liquid to the dishes or to the drain. The food particles should be completely removed from the collection chamber. In addition, it is desirable to isolate the pump from the food and other material to prevent clogging or damage to the pump.